This is the 21st century version of a Victorian freakshow. We wouldn't accept dragging a crippled war veteran on stage for people to laugh at, why do we accept the bullying of people with mental illnesses?

That's a very harsh judgement, not ALL of those on here surely are, really, mentally ill?
Many deluded for sure.
Though I accept that with the odd woman for Scotland last year, it's hard to imagine anyone less suited for sudden fame.

However, I also loathe this type of thing, anything with Simon Cowell involved will always be wrong to me.

I go to lots of gigs, buy lots of music, so of course, the likes of fourth rate karaoke Cowell will never have anything for me.

What I find more disturbing, was a survey showing showing (I forget the actual number) a portion of young people when asked about their career aspirations, answered waiting to be discovered.
Huh? Wonder where they got that idea from?
If you think you do have a genuine talent, singing, songwriting, acting, writing, whatever, you go and DO it.
You just know anyone who says that, has nothing to offer.

The net can help you, with music for example, sod the record companies, at least at first, put it on the web, keep trying, then if you are lucky, when they come calling, you are in a stronger position.
This has happened.

I know some will say, what about (insert choice of X Factor winner) this one?
I say, even a stopped clock, is right twice a day.

While I don't watch this show, reading an article about the first ever winner, a male singer, where he is now, back to where he was.
What happened? Seems he had ideas of his own, beyond Cowell's stock cliche of boring over covered songs.
He was soon persona non grata.

Quoting GDB (Reply 2):Though I accept that with the odd woman for Scotland last year

Believe it or not, Susan Boyle still lives a fairly normal life, still lives in her old house. Unfortunately she was the target recently of some neds on board the same train as her from Edinburgh to Blackburn (West Lothian).

Reduced to tears by a bunch of retards

When you hear the noise of the Tartan Army Boys, we'll be coming down the road!

Let's have a look at the first few comments on that video. Read these and tell me this vulnerable man isn't being humiliated:

OMFG THIS IS THAT BEST VID
YOUR THE WORST SINGER IVE EVER HEARD
THANK YOU
NO ITS NOT THANK YOU YOUR COMPLETELY USELESS o.O
WELL I GOT 3 NO'S BUT AT LEAST I CAN STILL WORK IN THE﻿ CHICKEN FACTORY xD

IVE﻿ PISSED MYSELF!

stick to﻿ pluckin chickens u loser ha ha ha ha ha,, u freak

this﻿ guy hasnt quite got all his marbles there i think. lolllll

guanteed pedophile﻿

lol, my﻿ brother works at a chicken factory but he's not this fucked up XD

Quoting greasespot (Reply 6):ok so then they were laughing at a bad singer who they had no idea was mentally ill ...then they found out after the show that she was in fact mentally ill ...oh the animals.....

Clearly the fact that she appeared so deluded by her own skill, and acted so bizarrely, was an indication to ITV that they had a duty of care and ensure she wasn't humiliated. Remember ITV have pre-auditioned all these people, they know what her performance was like.

Let's imagine a show where the entertainment was found at watching a crippled person try to run, or a blind person try to play darts, or a cancer sufferer going to a barbers. There's no entertainment in watching ill and vulnerable people humiliate themselves.